A Thousand Candles
by magnipisika16
Summary: And thus, to meet you, I knew I needed to die a thousand times... But if it's for you, I will to die a thousand more...


**Why, hello there~ Yeah, not my usual approach if you've heard of me before, but hey~! New to this pairing so, I'd like to first give my introductions ^_^**

**I'm Maggie~ My specialty is tragedy~ That's all you need to know from me ^_^**

**So, now, fellow FioLee fans! Hope you enjoy this!**

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**Prompt:**

**A Thousand Years by Christina Perri**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own anyone here (although owning Marshall wouldn't hurt OwO) except Raoul the Demon. And the song? Lyrics of the aforementioned song (EXCEPT the first lyrics of Marshall. That's just me trollin' )**

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This place was his. A place he can best consider his. A world where he knew he was the _real _king, and not just some measly humanoid to be passed off as a demon's son.

Yes, this was his kingdom. The crumbling pedestal with engraftments was his throne. The vast field of lifelessness was his royal subjects.

Nothing can be more soothing than the thought of your own peace, and this was what he had. His very sole possession to which he would never let go.

_Forget the past,_

_Broken down promises_

_Forget being saved_

_Forget the fact that you're afraid_

_Don't fall._

_You'll survive this all alone_

_Don't show your doubt... _

_And always find a way to smile somehow..._

There was a sudden break at his melodic composition.

He had broken a string from his guitar.

Hissing, he threw it violently at the side, and laid haughtily on his back in thin air. Oh, how he detested these kinds of moments when he was already deep within his pathetic form of escape, and then suddenly something or someone will pull him back up.

Such rudeness...

He turned to his side and hummed instead.

It's strange why that melody kept getting adhered to his head like broken record. He kept associating it with those despicable words he remembers from his childhood.

Like what happened a while ago, as an example.

Those words were his father's encouraging words to him when he last saw his mother, on her back, looking up blankly at the sky, her body surrounded by that resentful red liquid that seemed like a delicacy to his kindred. Not that he'd ever want to muse over such despicable memories to begin with but, still...

Oh, what is he even thinking? He came to this place to escape it all; his father... his duty being his son... his soon-to-be "kingdom"... Why permit them to plague his mind again?

He straightened up; thinking that laying down with no music will only cause him to think more stupid things. Picking up his guitar, he left his tombstone "throne" and began to scour the whole graveyard in search of something that could help him pass the time.

He had about three rounds before realizing that he'd find nothing but what the graveyard _really _has to offer: the _dead_. Usually he'd play around and raise the dead to have a little laugh, but he wasn't up for laughing. He wasn't even up for jamming with them either.

No. He needed something... else. Company, perhaps? True, he had been feeling lonesome since... since, well, he didn't know. He'd been feeling this way since he could remember, but where can he find decent company in a world where everything—him included—may as well be dead?

He again tried to rest himself on the same tombstone and tried to make do for whatever strings he still had, playing the melody in a very broken way. His surroundings were simply listening, even if he himself was not satisfied with whatever he was doing.

Then, suddenly, there was the sound of clanking and turning of rusty hinges. He jumped, surprised, head jerking towards the direction of the giant gate that separated this from the outside world, full of vibrancy and other foreign things he can never be part of. He raised himself carefully to see a wider point of view, and surely enough, there was someone. It was, without a doubt, a human being.

_But why? _It has been years since anybody had even bothered to come by here. None of those from the outside world had even cared enough for their dead, so who could this person be?

Oddly enough, whoever it was, it passed by the tombstones and fallen logs with ease, as if it knew where it was going. And it was nowhere else but to where he floated. The poor, shaken humanoid scuttled to a nearby giant tree to hide.

The last thing he needed was to encounter a _real _human being—the epitome of what he had always wanted to but can never be.

More rustlings, and soon he can finally make out the clear image of that person. A female, judging by her build and exposed complexion. He couldn't see what she looked like, for she was draped underneath what seemed like a quilt of rags.

She walked towards the tombstone—_his _tombstone—and, after scouting her environment, she took of her cover, revealing a beautiful head full of golden yellow locks. She smiled at the tombstone, reaching out to touch it with her tender hands.

"Hello there, mother," she smiled. "I'm home..."

Marshall Lee's eyes widened at the words that escaped her mouth. The last time he checked, that headstone contained _his _mother's name. That was _his _mom's grave.

Who was this puny mortal to say otherwise?

The girl suddenly chuckled, hands raised to her face, trying to cover her pouring tears.

"Oh, who am I kidding?" she choked. "I'm sorry, Ms... Lee, is it? Oh, forgive me. It's just that you're almost the same age as my mother, and I'm in dire need to talk to her. I absolutely miss her. I don't know where they've brought her or whether she's dead or not. All I know was that they—t-those monsters..." She placed all her hair on one side of her head, revealing the two small dots—unmistakeably the size of a royal vampire's fangs' gap—resting on her bare neck. "They took her in replace of me."

Marshall's wide eyes began to soften. It was the same as what happened to his mom. The vampires also killed her when she refused to give him away. When she refused to let him become one of them...

She died trying...

He attempted to reveal himself to her to comfort her, but he suddenly realized he was also one of _them_—he was one of those monsters. His hand flew to his neck, where an identical pair of bite marks sat proudly. It was a curse he never wanted to bear for the rest of his life, but who was he to refuse?

He was no more powerless as she was when they took away her mother.

"I will kill them," the girl continued. "I will eliminate them all! I will never let them touch another human again! I.. I swear to my mother's name, I will kill them all..."

Marshall all the more shrunk behind the tree in fear and shame.

Why was he born to be like this? Why?

Moments later, the girl stood up and was about to make her way back to the gate when she suddenly turned around, and produced a peculiar white object. Marshall tried to take a closer look, but he couldn't figure out what it was until he saw her light it up with fire.

It was a candle.

Gently, the girl placed it in front of the tombstone, pressed her palms to each other, and paid respect, as accustomed in the human world. Marshall watched her treat his own mother the utmost respect he should've been giving her since then.

She left not long after, and that was the only time Marshall emerged from his hiding place, and stared wistfully at the direction she took. When he felt like he could pull his gaze, he stared solemnly at the small flicker the candle was making.

It was funny.

It was so little, and yet it has lit almost half of the dark graveyard. He could see things a bit clearer at that moment, most especially the name of his mother. Like what she has done, he too stretched his hand towards its rough surface and felt the engraved name of his own mother.

"Mother..." He found himself mouthing the words involuntarily, but, as to whether he could stop it or not, he didn't choose to do so. He just continued, seeing that if her mother seemed to have listened to that girl, she would listen to her own son all the more.

"Mother," he repeated, louder this time. "She's pretty, isn't she, that girl who was here just before?" He ran his grayish fingers across his mother's last name "Lee"—the one he vowed to use the rest of his life. The name that connoted his human side, even though he was constantly reminded that that part has long been dead.

"She was human, wasn't she?" he continued. "A fully human being..." he dropped to his knees, suddenly feeling weak. The lonesomeness was beginning to subside when he first saw her, but now that he is constantly reminded of what he really was, he couldn't help but feel all the more alone.

"Unlike me..."

His eyes dropped on his guitar, lying just beneath him. He picked it up, broken still, and began playing the pestering melody once more, softer this time.

He floated again, closing his eyes to feel the notes even more. Although, since a string was missing, some notes remained blank, but he didn't care. He needed to get that melody off of his system. Just somehow...

No sooner had the melody provoked him to play, he soon had new words, foreign yet familiar, that escaped from his lips, and he could hear them bounce off the invisible walls of his "Kingdom of Escape".

Beautiful... Mellifluous... Fading...

_Heart beats fast_

Again, her gentle demeanour plagued his mind, and he allowed it.

_Colours and promises_

He meant what he said to his mother.

She was beautiful... Gentle and fleeting... Darling...

An angel, perhaps? Or too clichéd for such a unique being like him? But, how else shall he describe such divine loveliness? Such unattainable heavenliness, specifically for a lowly demon like him...

He strummed as he floated around, as if on a trance, the pale moonlight shining down on his gray skin, making him reflect its illumination like a silver lake. Slowly, a smile was beginning to form on his thin lips as he hummed the words that couldn't get out right.

What was this feeling?

_How to be brave?_

He suddenly stopped, and stared with disbelief at the candle that flickered beneath him.

Was he... Was he in love?

Was he _really _in love with that mortal?

Then he giggled, smacking his forehead in self-retribution.

It cannot be. It was not possible.

She was a mortal; what was there to see about her? She was like any other.

What was so special?

Again, his eyes fell on the flickering flame. It was distracting him and his crazy thinking.

"Scrawny glimmer," he hissed. He reached out for it, attempting to extinguish it, but, contrarily, he had only burned himself.

Who was he kidding?

He held his guitar again, and sung the last part of the song.

_How can I love when I'm afraid...?_

"And where have you been, young man?" a loud voice boomed as soon as he emerged from the portal, still trying to tend his guitar. He let his gaze up long enough to give the flame-eyed demon a good "What's-it-to-you" roll of his eyes.

"Marshall, I'm talking to you," the demon prodded again, floating after him when he glided past him in a nonchalant manner.

"It's none of your business, Raoul," he replied nastily, opening and closing one drawer after another in search for his strings.

"Honestly, your Highness wasn't very pleased when you didn't show up for the annual inspection of the kingdom, Marshal," Raoul reprimanded him. "How can you be an efficient leader someday if you can't even study the Kingdom you will soon inherit?"

Marshall just snorted, resting himself on a couch-like structure as he fixed his guitar back to its original state.

"See, that attitude is what's making your father even _more _temperamental. That is absolutely unbecoming of a would-be ruler of the demon king, you know that?" The poor demon only followed the "prince" as he floated around as he tested his newly-fixed guitar, garbling nonsense which he knows will never reach the boy's mind.

"Perfect," Marshall suddenly mumbled with a smile before he slung the axe-like instrument on his back and made his way back to the portal. But Raoul blocked it with his body.

"Oh no, you don't, pretty boy," he warned. "Your father needs you to be here to have you introduced to the representatives. I've been told _specifically _to keep you here until—MARSHALL LEE ABADEER, YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Marshall Lee was already about to leave through the portal when he turned around to face Raoul.

"Yo, Raoul, can you leave a message for my dad?"

"What?" the poor demon said through gritted teeth.

He held out both his fists, and simultaneously raised both middle fingers. Raoul was aghast.

"Tell him I won't accept the post and he should just shove his fucking kingdom up his big fat ass." With that he turned around and went back to the human world.

"Make sure you do the sign as well, alright? You rock, Raoul!"

"_HOW ON EARTH DO YOU EXPECT ME TO DO THAT WITHOUT BEING ANNIHILATED?_" Raoul called after him. "Marshall!"

The Vampire Boy waited everyday for that girl, and she didn't fail him. She began to drop by at a regular rate, always lighting a candle after giving his mother her many tales of adventures. He never got to talk to her, although. He just stayed behind his giant tree, watching her from afar.

He wanted to meet her so badly and tell her that he understood her—which he really did—but he feared that his presence might convince her to believe otherwise.

Every now and then, he'd play for her without revealing himself, singing softly as he leant back against the tree.

_...Too fall..._

_But watching you stand alone..._

_All of my doubts_

_Suddenly goes away somehow..._

He repeated that song for her everytime she visited, and if she ever wondered where the beautiful melody came from, she never showed it. She just listened, so very fondly, and knowing this only made him want to sing more. There even comes a time when she'd rest her back on the other side of the same tree he hides in, quiescent beneath the lazy warmth his voice had given her.

Marshall can smell her from where he sat, and he could almost hear her heartbeat as she slept there.

She was so damn close...

_...One step closer..._

...But, for a despised creature like him, they were still many worlds apart.

...Still too far...

"Wow, that is such a beautiful song you got there," the girl murmured mindlessly one early evening, and Marshall did the biggest mistake of thanking her for it. Immediately, his mouth met his hand.

_Shit..._

"Who said that?" The girl suddenly sat up, alarmed. Marshall watched her nervously as she looked around.

"Huh," she whispered. "Could've sworn I heard something..." She shrugged, and stood up. Another candle was lit, and after saying her usual prayers, she left.

Marshall drew a relieved sigh before emerging from his hiding place yet again to watch her off. As soon as he was sure she was gone, he began to float around giddily around his mother's gravestone.

He had never felt so pleased in a long time.

He had finally conversed with her.

_Time stands still..._

_Beauty in all she is..._

Marshall strode through the woods underneath the pale moonlight in a frivolous trance. For someone who's been dead for as long as his mind can unearth, he had never felt so alive. Gliding through the silver shadows and darkened silhouettes presented by the evening, he sang and sang and sang again. Somehow, he couldn't stop himself anymore. The words were escaping his lips before he can even know what he was saying, but it was alright for him.

He knew that the words still meant the same.

_I will be brave..._

The vampire swayed around and around as he felt all his doubts and fears flush away.

He was going to do it.

He was going to reveal himself to her.

Regardless of what she says or do, he will accept, and try his best to convince her that he was on her side. That he would do anything to help her get the revenge she wanted. That he would be there to provide her the healing she deserved.

That he would love her, so much that it would be enough to cover up the sad past that engulfs them both.

_I will not let anything take away..._

_What's standing in front of me..._

"Mar_shall_ _Lee?_!"

Said boy paused from last notes to turn around.

Both demons flinched.

"Raoul?" Marshall exclaimed, more scared than surprised.

The demon just blinked at him, unsure of what to say, and how to say it.

"M-Marshall..." he breathed.

The poor vampire almost dropped his guitar in horror. How much had the demon butler seen so far?

He watched Raoul cross his arms in an expectant manner, meaning he wasn't going to accept any excuses.

After about half a minute of a mental showdown—of who can hold out without saying anything longer— he just drew his own breath and lowered himself to meet the eyes of the smaller demon. He should've expected this before. Might as well appreciate that it was only Raoul.

"Raoul," he repeated, this time a bit softer. "Before you react, I'm going to ask you first... How..." He breathed. "How much have you seen?"

"Enough, the way I see it," Raoul answered silently, walking ahead, gesturing for Marshall to follow him. It can only mean one thing: they were being watched at that moment. Raoul was still being considerate, thank Glob.

When they reached a clearing, Raoul and the Marshall halted, and finally faced each other.

"How long have you been hiding that girl from us, Marshall?" the demon inquired. "Or are you going to stand here and convince me that I've just conjured up a mistake and nothing else?"

Marshall continued watching the ground as he mumbled: "Which will you prefer more?"

"Marshall!"

"Alright, alright..." the younger winced. "But if I tell you the truth, can you promise to make it our little secret?"

"No..."

"Yeah, you would," Marshall inhaled. "Okay, so here goes..."

And he explained everything. Again and again. The first story more nervously-narrated that the succeeding ones. He needed Raoul to understand. He was the only one the vampire boy can trust not to condemn him.

When he finished his story, Raoul's face's expression changed. For the worse.

"What in hell?!" the demon cried. "Marshall, have you finally _lost _whatever piece of sanity you have left?! That girl you're talking about is _human._ They are _mortals_. They are _prey_. You see what I'm trying to get across here, huh, Marshall?"

The boy just grimaced and looked away.

He understood. He had long understood.

"Look me in the eye, Marshall..." He did. "Have you fallen in love with this girl or something?"

Marshall's eyes dropped again before hesitantly nodding. Raoul smacked his face with his palm.

Not good.

He hadn't known that the wound was already deep.

"Look, Raoul, I know that this seems bad to you but..."

"Enough, Marshall." Raoul waved his hand at him while massaging his forehead. "No matter what you say, you won't convince me. And even if you _don't _convince me, I know you'd still want to go your way... What's the point of explaining things to one another?"

Raoul was right.

"But, I must admit, Marshall, a human _being_... I would've never expected." He sighed. "How are you going to explain this to Abadeer?"

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him, Raoul..." Marshall raised an eyebrow at him. "Or are you planning on telling him yourself?"

"And what? Risk getting myself getting cursed for the rest of my eternal life? Yeah, I don't think so, Pretty Boy..."

Marshall's smile lit up. So, he really _did _have an ally in the persona of Raoul.

"Oh, Raoul, t—"

"Hug me, and I'll go sack that girl myself," the demon warned. The boy backed away, but there was still a small smile forming in his lips.

"Still, thanks man. Now, if you'll excuse me I'll..."

"Question, Marshall..."

Marshall froze again.

"Have you thought this through at all?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Raoul shook his head. Marshall was still _such _a child.

"I'm telling you all these as a friend, Marshall, so listen carefully..." he whispered. "That girl, as I have repeated again and again, is a _mortal_—and not just any mortal. She also happens to be the daughter of a victim of the demons... Of _your _kind. Of you, may as well be... How do you plan on displaying that face of yours to her?"

"I'll explain to her that I'm nothing like those demons who took her mother," Marshall reasoned out. "If anything, I also consider myself a victim. _My _kind also took _my _mother away from me... The demon only shows itself in my outward appearance. What's inside is different..." He began to glide away, afraid of what Raoul might say next.

He'll admit to himself, what Raoul had said had almost made him feel mum. He still doubts if he ever convinces that girl he was on her side.

But, ah well, there's no harm in trying, right?

"And if she doesn't believe you?" Raoul's voice followed him.

"Then, I'll continue loving her from afar _until _I can prove myself to her..."

"And if she does?"

Marshall paused.

"What does that supposed to mean?"

"What if she believes you, Marshall?" Raoul clarified. "And she ends up falling in love with you as well? How will you endure watching someone whom you've loved and have loved you back dearly grow old into nothingness whilst you live on forever, never-aging? Will you be able to take it?"

Marshall had to admit. He never thought of that one through.

"For once, I'd like you to ponder on the decisions you make, Marshall Lee..." Raoul began to fade, as he was being transported his own way back to the Nightosphere.

"You better show yourself to your father, Marshall..."

Marshall stared at the spot where Raoul was just standing. There he found a small, red flower that stood by itself, being knocked here and there by the evening breeze. He bent over and picked it up.

_...grow old into nothingness..._

It seemed fragile in his hands, especially now that he had pulled it off its delicate system that had sustained its life for years.

_...whilst you live on forever, never-aging..._

Marshall just shrugged, and sucked the flower's red dry before dumping it to the side.

He'll cross that bridge when he gets there.

_But will he be able to take it?_

That's a question which exists with no answers.

He began playing his guitar again as he made his way back to the portal he had opened, trying hard to make it look like nothing really happened.

_Every breath...Every hour..._

_Has come to this..._

_One step closer..._

The house seemed silent when he came out of that portal. Not a soul was in sight—not even his father, Abadeer. He glided around to look for someone—anyone—but nobody was there.

"Huh," Marshall mumbled. "Could've sworn I saw Raoul return just a while ago..."

But then again, the time lapse in the human world and the Nightosphere were very different after all. It may seem like a minute for the mortals, but it may as well be two hours or more for the demons. But, still, even if that's the case, it wasn't like Raoul—or anybody—for that reason to leave the palace unattended. There wasn't much chaos inside, and if you have lived in this place as long as Marshall and the other demons had, then you know that something wasn't right.

"Raoul?" he called out, "Kaple? Olley? Anybody?"

He looked everywhere, opening every door he would come across, but he found no one. Soon, he thought of just shrugging them off—having the house to himself was better than having his father there to pressure him even more to the post he wouldn't even dream about.

That was until he heard soft moaning from his Father's office. Marshall stared at the door, slightly ajar, and asked himself if ever his father has left yet another victim lying around their own home, or if his father was still there.

He began sniffing near the door. No trace of Abadeer. It was safe to go in.

"Hello?" he called out.

"M-Marshall..."

"W-who's there?" Marshall stuttered, suddenly gripping his guitar on its neck with both hands. "S-show yourself..."

"M-Marshall, o-over here..."

The boy followed the voice and, to his horror, found Raoul lying down on the cold ground, severe types of bruises donning his whole body.

"Raoul!"

Quickly, Marshall flew towards the wounded demon and scooped it gently in his arms.

"Glob, what happened?" His voice was trembling. Abadeer had never given much attention for Raoul ever since he was assigned to be the boy's babysitter. It had been ages since Raoul's last beating.

This could only mean one thing...

"F-forgive me, Marshall..." Raoul garbled, trying his best to keep his eyes open. Marshall only trembled at his poor, disheveled appearance. "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but y-your Father..."

"What did that asshole do to you, Raoul?"

"H-he was getting suspicious of you... I never realized that he was having somebody else watch you, even from before. Marshall, h-he knew of your human girl..."

Marshall's predictions have come true. His worst fears were now re-enacting themselves before his very eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, man..." Marshall wept. "If only I knew that he..."

"No, Marshall, this isn't time for you to cry or feel regret. Y-you must save her... Beat your Father to her if you have to... Warn her... Hide her..."

Raoul suddenly winced. Who was he kidding? Abadeer had connections. No one can hide from him. Not in this world. Not in any other worlds...

Marshall was also very well aware of that...

"But where will I hide her?" he thought to himself. I've only got a few moments. And even if I did have eternity, it wouldn't be enough for me to find a place where he could not find her..." He hung his head and cringed. "Oh, what will I do?"

"If you truly love her, you'd find a way, Marshall," Raoul garbled, pointing at the pendant around his neck. Marshall too stared at it, and with wide eyes, he acknowledged the rather absurd idea of Raoul's.

"Y-you mean...?"

"If you do it, then Abadeer can never find her. It's the only way, Marshall..."

"But if I do that, I'll..."

"You've already caused yourself _this _much trouble, right? Why be so afraid?"

He struggled to raise his knuckles to give him a light, playful punch.

"It's all you now, Pretty Boy..."

Marshall rushed like a bullet. He didn't know where he should go or if ever his father had already beaten him to it. But, he still had that feeling—that _crazy_, almost illogical determination of his was still pestering within him, and he might just _die, _really die, if he just ignore it.

Finally, he reached the small village; almost all were already in slumber. It was already late, after all, and it was time for humans to go to sleep. There was no sign of inhumane activity anywhere, which could only mean that he had beaten his father there. But he doubts for how long.

He silently floated around, peeping through every window in search something—anything—that would indicate that it was the dwelling place of his beloved mortal.

But, all houses were either locked or abandoned. He couldn't look through their high and strong cemented walls; neither can he break in without causing any kind of commotion.

He was about to reach his eighteenth house when he noticed a small flickering-like object somewhere near. He drifted near it, and found that it was a house. Unlike the other though, which were all dark and appeared to be inactive containing equally inactive people, this was quite alive. It produced a soft, red glow from inside, and if he looked closely, he could make out a familiar silhouette.

He had found his house.

Quickly, he hurried towards it and knocked hysterically.

"Open up!" he cried. "Please!" There was no answer. Marshall Lee have begun to turn desperate and began twisting the doorknob.

Lucky for him, it wasn't locked. It cannot be locked.

He opened the wooden door and let himself, and some of the evening breeze, in, blowing off the candles that illuminated the whole place.

"Hey!" a voice cried. Marshall scoured the place with his night-adapted eyes, and saw a figure move in search of something. After a few thuds, a matchstick was lit, and soon, a candle. The candle shone brightly, it almost blinded Marshall, but he didn't remove his gaze for next to that blinding light was the face he had longed to see up close. She too gaped at him, her blue eyes watching her first with surprise, then fear, and then utter distaste.

"Y-you're...!" She gasped.

Marshall, not knowing what to do, only stared back, and when he found that he could speak again, said stupidly, "Hi there..."

"You're a demon!" the girl cried, throwing something at him. He swiftly dodged it, and the same goes for the next few items that went flying towards him.

"How _dare _you show your butt here at _my _house?!" she demanded. "Get out, beast!"

"N-no! Wait!" he cried, flailing his arms in front of him in an attempt to calm her. "I didn't come here to hurt you!"

She stopped for a minute. "You didn't come here to suck my life out of me?"

"Well, no..." Then made a mistake of adding: "But, my dad's on his way to do exactly that..." This earned him a dire hit on the head.

"OUT!"

"P-please, Miss, hear me out!" Marshall began gliding across the room, only giving the girl an even wider shooting range. "I came here to warn you, and prevent him from getting you!"

The girl paused again, a plate in her hand. She eyed him suspiciously as he slowly descended to place his feet on the same ground she was on.

"I'm here to save you," Marshall whispered, arms still in a hostile position.

The girl's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Oh yeah? Prove it, then..."

"You see me trying to suck the life out of you?" he asked, and then bent down to pick up a broken plate. "Or maybe trying to hurl your 'weapons' back at you?"

"Who _are _you?" she inquired, still not convinced. "Why do you want to save me? I don't even know you..."

"_You _don't know me..." He reached for his pocket and brought out one of the candles he had collected after waiting for its flame to die down. "But, I know you..."

The girl eyed the candle with familiarity.

"What's _that _doing with you?"

"You always come to the graveyard to light things like these on my mother's grave..."

"Mrs. Lee is _your _mother?!" she exclaimed. "But that's not possible... She's a human being... You're... You're a _monster_..."

Marshall flinched on the inside upon hearing that. Even if he had already expected her to call him that, there was no doubt that it _stung_. A lot.

"It's hard to explain and believe, but it's true... She's my mom... I'm always there to visit her, which is why I came to know you..."

"But, how come I never got to meet you, then, huh?" Her hold on her plate was still firm. Unwavering. "I've been visiting that grave at a very regular basis, and yet I never got to meet you at all..."

Marshall sighed, and finally went to his last resort. He reached for his guitar which was strapped to his body all that time, and began playing. Truthfully, he didn't find it a good time to sing, but, if it was the only way he could convince her then...

_I have died everyday waiting for you..._

He looked at her intently.

_Darling don't be afraid, I have loved you..._

Slowly, her hand began to dither as she gradually lowered her guard down for him.

_For a thousand years..._

_I'll love you for a thousand more..._

"I-I know that song..." she said, looking down as if trying to remember. "I recognize that from my dreams when I take a nap there by the large tree that shaded Mrs. Lee's grave..." Slowly, she lifted her gaze at him.

"Was it you?" she breathed. "Was it you who was there watching me from somewhere, _all _this time?"

Marshall slowly nodded.

The girl's hand flew to her cheeks, and slightly blushed. "Wow, been hearing that for quite a while now, you'd think I'd ever realize there really _was _someone out there..." Then, she looked up at him.

"Alright, I'll trust you..." she said. "But, if it's true that your father is coming to get me, why didn't you stop _him_? Why'd you give the trouble of coming here?"

"Because I was left with no choice. Dad's too powerful for me. For anybody. He can track us both down in any part of this world with no difficulty..."

"So, what can _you _do, if that it so?" the girl demanded. "If you can't defeat him nor hide me, then how else do you propose you can save me?!"

Marshall stared at her—that very heavenly image of her, and hung his head. "With this..."

He reached for a red pendant that hung around his neck, and pulled it off of him.

"This will take you to a world where my dad—or anybody from this place, to say the least—can track you down. Even _I _won't be able to track you either..."

"And where is that?" the girl queried.

Marshall looked her straight in the eyes. She looked at him with full of doubt and contempt—and, of course, fear. He never expected their first encounter to be just like this...

"The future, m'lady..." He took both her hands and enclosed the pendant within them. He then whispered a spell, and soon, the pendant shone brightly. He backed away and watched as the pendant's light surround her whole being.

"W-wait, what?" the girl cried. "The f-future?! B-but, how...?"

"You trust me, right?" he asked with a smile, as he raised both hands in front of him. He was about to use his own magic to speed up the process of transporting her to the future. But, before he could conjure up enough enchantment, the roof caved in, and in came a large, octopus-like monster, multiple sacs located underneath its chin.

"Marshall!" Hunson Abadeer, Marshall's father and the Lord of the Nightosphere, cried angrily at the vampire boy.

"Gah!" The girl screamed, backing away. Marshall stretched his arm in front of her in a protective manner.

"Don't mind him," he said. "You just stay there and relax, and let the pendant do its trick..."

"B-but, demon boy..." she choked.

"Hush now..." He turned his head slightly to give her a small smile. "Everything will be fine. I'll be here to make sure you'll be safe..."

"B-but..." She trailed off. He was already charging towards his father, transforming into a giant bat-like monster—his own version of monstrosity. The girl stared at him, appalled.

Abadeer caught him in midair—he was eight-times larger than he was, and can easily hurl him anywhere. Marshall hit a nearby wall, totally destroying it. But, that didn't stop him. He easily got up and went back at him, grabbing two tentacles and pulling back, making the larger one shriek in pain. It swung around, swinging his son around and around, hitting the ground, and at times the debris that was left of the girl's house.

Soon, Marshall's grasp weakened and he was thrown back again, slamming hard onto the ground.

"Demon boy!" the girl cried again, watching as he slowly shrank back into his normal self. She tried to go to him, but Abadeer suddenly grabbed her and pulled her up near his face.

"Hmph," Abadeer sneered at the struggling girl. "To think that all this time, what hindered you from accepting the throne was all because of a puny mortal." He spat at the struggling boy's direction. "You've completely stooped so low, Marshall..."

"Let me go, you ugly beast!" the girl yelled.

"You're one to call _me _ugly, you little brat!" He began tightening his grip, breaking every bone in her body, making her yelp in pain.

"Let her go, old man!" Marshall cried, pushing himself up on all fours, wincing at every move.

"What is she to you, Marshall? Don't tell me you've fallen for her?" He stretched one tentacle and used it to smack the boy back to the ground, preventing him to get his axe.

"You absurd little weakling..." He turned back to the struggling girl and opened his mouth. The girl watched helplessly as he began sucking the energy from her.

"Stop it!" He threw a small rock at Abadeer, hitting the latter on the head, barely scathing him but succeeding in averting his attention.

"Look, Marshall, if you're not going to eat her, then I'll do it myself..."

The girl cried louder at the sound of her own demise. Marshall couldn't just lie there and watch. Weakly but determinedly, he reached for his last resort—his electric guitar. Struggling to keep it tight in his dithering hands, he targeted for his father's arm, and when he was sure of his aim, hurled it towards him. The axe cut across Abadeer's wrist, just inches from his hand where the girl was held captive. She was able to struggle free from it, but only to find herself falling. Marshall threw himself at her direction, and caught her at the nick of time.

They landed hardly on the ground, Marshall using his own body to cushion her fall. He winced as she rolled over to give him space. Behind them, Abadeer was immobilized for some reason. The girl watched him as he gave out a loud, ear-splitting shriek of pain. She took that moment to check up on her unexpected saviour.

"Hey," she said as she gently rolled the wincing vampire to his right side. "Are you alright? Speak to me, demon boy..."

Marshall stopped wincing to open one eye and smile at her despite the pain.

"See?" he muttered. "I told you I'll keep you safe..."

"Why...?" she hiccupped. "Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?"

He didn't answer, and proceeded back to wincing. This was bad. Normally, it was easy for him to heal himself, but now he couldn't feel the pain subside in any way. If anything, it was getting absolutely worse.

"Damn you, Abadeer," he mumbled under his breath.

"Hey, hey," the girl cooed for him, gently touching his wounds with her hands again and again, letting her soft, warm skin touch his rough and cold texture. "Look at me, demon boy. Stay with me..."

He didn't respond. Heavy breathing and low moans of pain still ensued.

"Please, demon boy." She was beginning to weep as she lowered herself to feel his breath, not aware that he was the kind that never needed to breathe. But either way, _her _breath was doing strange wonders for him. "Stay with me..."

"I-it's fine. Everything will be fine... I promise you. Everything will be fine..." His hand trembled as it reached for her pendant. "Won't be long now..."

Truly enough, she was beginning to fade. This, she assumed, was the last part of her transportation. She was going to be brought into a new world—a new time frame far from where she currently was. A place where no one can reach her anytime soon.

Out of nowhere, a tentacle suddenly whooshed and stabbed her in the body. She screamed, and closed her eyes while waiting for the pain, but only opened them to see it only passing through her now translucent stomach. She was unscathed.

She was about to smile triumphantly at the monster, but her smile immediately died away at the image of her saviour, arms spread out, the tentacle piercing through his chest.

"M-ma..."

He smiled. A weak, yet triumphant smile.

"Too late, Abadeer..." he mumbled. Abadeer, too, have realized that. The girl was already entering the time realm, and will be sent there to her destination just momentarily.

There was nothing even the Lord of the Nightosphere can do at this time.

The girl was saved.

Angrily, Abadeer pulled back his tentacle, letting his son fall again. Perhaps for the last time. Luckily, the girl was still capable of catching him.

"You're safe now..." he whispered, a smile still plastered in his face.

She just stared at him, face full of tears.

"Why...?" she squeaked. "Why would you save a human like me? Aren't you a demon? A monster just like them...?" She tried to hold the upcoming uproar of her own emotions as she continued. "Why did you do this?"

He raised his red orbs to meet her lovely blue ones.

"Because, in my many years of living, you're the only one who made an effort to light a candle for me..."

Her face connoted confusion, but if ever that she was, then she chose not to ask further. She just wrapped her arms around him and cradled him lovingly in her arms.

"Thank you, Marshall..."

Marshall was caught off guard. How did she know his name?

"Y-you... You called me by my name?" he breathed.

"That's your name, right?" she asked, unsure. "Marshall...? I see you react to that name... Is that yours really?" She suddenly remembered the name of the woman whom she had been hogging on for quite a while now. "Marshall Lee...?"

He smiled and slightly bobbed his head.

"I'm Marshall Lee..." he confirmed. "Pleased to have finally made a formal introduction to you..."

"Same with you," she whispered, tears streaming from her eyes. She could feel her hold loosening, so she resorted to just laying him down gently to prevent further pain...

"I realized I never got to introduce myself properly." She bent forward, and brushed her lips against his forehead.

"...My name's Fionna."

And with a flash of blinding white light, Fionna was sent to a place where Marshall was confident she'd find refuge.

A thousand years into the future.

_._

_.._

_..._

_... One step closer..._

_..._

_.._

_._

The candle felt cumbersome in his hands.

When in times when he felt like he just wanted to give up—like now, as a great example—he would want nothing more than blow the small, pathetic flame and forget about everything. Forget that he met her. Forget that he fell in love with her. Forget that he almost died for her. Forget that he made a pact to his father to accept the post he had so despairingly avoided for a long time, as long his father would let him live more to find her.

Forget that, even after all these years, he was still waiting for her.

Maybe if he was able to convince himself now, he might free himself from his thousand years' worth of pain from failing numerous times.

But he'd been playing that card again and again for the same period of time, and if he wasn't able to talk himself off for the past thousand years, he doubts he can do that anytime sooner.

He gave a rueful sigh as he reached for the doorknob, feeling a small tinge of relief that he reached that door. The long, dark corridor seemed endless as he walked through it alone, with only a lit candle in hand.

Hesitatingly, he quickly opened the door, glided in, and immediately closed it behind him. Thankfully, the candle in his hand didn't die down, and neither did the thousand others that were all scattered that bright and shut room. He float through them all, body hardening at the involuntarily fear that was summoned itself within him.

He might get burned.

His father had warned him that a long time before. He might get burned if he pushed through with pursuing a candle that only blinded him.

No. Scratch that. He _will _get burned.

But, despite the warnings and the failures, he just couldn't stop himself.

He needed to see her again.

But, considering how much he has failed...? He was beginning to doubt.

All these candles around him represented how many "Fionnas" he had mistaken for his, and if you count them all...

...

And if you consider the fact that he hasn't seen a single human ever since that bomb exploded...

...

...Maybe he really _did _need to let it go... ?

He sighed, placing the candle down next to its kindred.

He didn't know when they will all die down, but he knew that they won't any time sooner, since he was careful not to let anything that could have them burn out enter his little room of regrets. Not even the greatest war of all couldn't touch it.

However, looking back now, he didn't know if whatever he was doing was what someone in the right mind would do.

He was crazy. He knew that. So crazy that not even he can stop himself.

He was absurd for letting himself _be _this absurd.

He hated himself for that.

"This is it, my friends," he mumbled, conversing with the thousand tongues of fire that stared back at him with their lifeless heat. "This time, it really, really _is _"is it". I..." He rose higher, farther from the flames.

"I can't hold out anymore."

Perchance, he had failed on the day he sent Fionna away itself. Maybe, Fionna never really reached this place. Perhaps, she didn't survive the realm, and all these years he was hoping and expecting for nothing.

_Stop it, Marshall... You're making this harder than it already is..._

He floated through the corridor, and soon to the clearing where it ended. Opening his umbrella, he emerged from the small cave and into the light which blinded him a bit. The first thing his body had brought him to was a river, and he knew why.

Marshall still had one candle left. He wanted to try once more, but...

...But, no. His mind was set.

He readied himself to hurl it far and watch it be washed away when he heard laughter coming from the meadows. Curiosity getting the best of him, he postponed whatever he was planning and went to see what it was.

The laughter came from a cat running and laughing as it frolicked down the field of flowers. It turned around and called for a name, and in came a girl—a _human _girl—rolling down the meadow as well, laughing.

Marshall's ears cannot be deceived. He heard the girl's name correctly.

That girl's name was "Fionna"...

_All along I believed I would find you..._

He crept closer and watched her laugh as she caught the cat in her arms, twirling them both before falling into another pile of daisies.

_Time has brought your heart to me..._

Marshall's eyes widened at the view of her smile.

_...I have loved you..._

And no sooner had he took in what he was seeing, he backed away, and returned to the river.

He brought his candle out again, and stared at the river.

_It's been a thousand years, Marshall_, he sighed to himself.

_...for a thousand years..._

He knew he was going to hate his decision, but all the more did he allow himself to do it.

He took out a lighter, and carefully, he lit the candle, letting its flame shimmer brightly in front of his own eyes.

He raised it up, making it near his peripheral vision of that Girl and her cat.

.

.

.

.

Yes, he might just try again.

_...I'll love you for a thousand more..._

**-FIN-**

**If someone here protests on my spelling of Marshall's dad, I'M SORRRRYYYYYYYY QAQ I'm just not that sure :**

**Also, I just realized that most fans here accept Marshall's demon lord parent to be his mom, so sorry again... Just that, it seems to suit my story to make it his daddy. Hope you guys saw through that ^_^**

**And one last thing... There've been talks about where Finn (and also Fionna, if ever she really _did _exist) comes from, considering that the Mushrom war has eradicated all Human beings... Well, babies, this is MY theory B) Hope it's near what the author is planning!**

**Ok. I'll shut up now :3**

**Thanks for reading~**


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